fade

[ feyd ]
See synonyms for: fadefadedfading on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object),fad·ed, fad·ing.
  1. to lose brightness or vividness of color.

  2. to become dim, as light, or lose brightness of illumination.

  1. to lose freshness, vigor, strength, or health: The tulips have faded.

  2. to disappear or die gradually (often followed by away or out): His anger faded away.

  3. Movies, Television.

    • to appear gradually, especially by becoming lighter (usually followed by in).

    • to disappear gradually, especially by becoming darker (usually followed by out).

  4. Broadcasting, Recording.

    • to increase gradually in volume of sound, as in recording or broadcasting music, dialogue, etc. (usually followed by in).

    • to decrease gradually in volume of sound (usually followed by out).

  5. Football. (of an offensive back, especially a quarterback) to move back toward one's own goal line, usually with the intent to pass, after receiving the snapback from center or a hand-off or lateral pass behind the line of scrimmage (usually followed by back): The quarterback was tackled while fading back for a pass.

  6. (of an automotive brake) to undergo brake fade.

verb (used with object),fad·ed, fad·ing.
  1. to cause to fade: Sunshine faded the drapes.

  2. Movies, Television.

    • to cause (a scene) to appear gradually (usually followed by in).

    • to cause (a scene) to disappear gradually (usually followed by out).

  1. Broadcasting, Recording. to cause (the volume of sound) to increase or decrease gradually (usually followed by in or out).

  2. (in dice throwing) to make a wager against (the caster).

noun
  1. an act or instance of fading.

  2. Movies, Television Informal. a fade-out.

  1. a style of short haircut in which the hair on the top of the head is all one length, while the hair on the sides and back of the head is closely cut or shaved to a gradually shorter length from top to bottom, giving the appearance of the hair shading from darker to lighter.

  2. Automotive. brake fade.

Origin of fade

1
First recorded in 1275–1325; 1915–20 for def. 5; Middle English faden, derivative of fade “pale, dull,” from Anglo-French, Old French, from unattested Vulgar Latin fatidus, for Latin fatuus fatuous

synonym study For fade

4. See disappear.

Other words from fade

  • fad·a·ble, adjective
  • pre·fade, verb (used with object), pre·fad·ed, pre·fad·ing.
  • un·fad·a·ble, adjective
  • un·fad·ing, adjective

Words Nearby fade

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use fade in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for fade

fade

/ (feɪd) /


verb
  1. to lose or cause to lose brightness, colour, or clarity

  2. (intr) to lose freshness, vigour, or youth; wither

  1. (intr; usually foll by away or out) to vanish slowly; die out

    • to decrease the brightness or volume of (a television or radio programme or film sequence) or (of a television programme, etc) to decrease in this way

    • to decrease the volume of (a sound) in a recording system or (of a sound) to be so reduced in volume

  2. (intr) (of the brakes of a vehicle) to lose power

  3. to cause (a golf ball) to move with a controlled left-to-right trajectory or (of a golf ball) to veer gradually from left to right

noun
  1. the act or an instance of fading

Origin of fade

1
C14: from fade (adj) dull, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin fatidus (unattested), probably blend of Latin vapidus vapid + Latin fatuus fatuous

Derived forms of fade

  • fadable, adjective
  • fadedness, noun
  • fader, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012